by Ty Schadt, Sports Editor
Asbury women’s lacrosse team will commence its fourth season on Feb. 23 when it heads to Indianapolis to take on Marian University. This is a special season for the Eagles, as it will be the senior year of the program’s first recruiting class.
When the team formed three years ago, it faced a difficult task: gathering 25 athletes to come play for a first-year program. Out of those that were a part of the inaugural 2015 team, 17 were freshmen. Now, only seven remain: Erin Garmany, Jennifer Stratton, Savannah Neese, Sarah Myhand, Hadley Slucher, Claire Perreault and Kellie Payne.
It’s because of these seniors’ dedication that the lacrosse program has sustained. Second-year coach Nicki Stewart recognizes this: “Our senior leadership is amazing. It will be bittersweet to see them go. The younger girls have big shoes to fill.”
In its first three seasons, the team has progressively improved its record. The Eagles have yet to experience a winning season, but subsequent improvement is key to any young and developing program.
On the offensive end, the Eagles have some strong weapons. Last season, sophomore Ashley Byrd led the team with 29 goals and 14 assists. Senior Savannah Neese netted 23 goals of her own and sophomore Sarah Smith added 20.
The defensive front is headed by Stratton, Myhand and Payne. According to Stewart, Stratton is the team’s anchor and best communicator. Myhand’s stellar field vision is a huge reason why their transition game improved tremendously last season. Payne is the goalie and has been extremely consistent throughout the years.
“Being on this team has given me the opportunity to get to know the incredible young women I call teammates. They are working to become doctors, teachers and directors among other incredible endeavors,” Stratton said. “Despite those differences, we have the opportunity to grow as players and more importantly individuals. These friendships and community are what I have come to value most during my time on this team.”
The team is coming off a 5-9 record in 2017. As to what last season brought the Eagles, Stewart used one word: cohesion. “We really improved our transitions and turning defense into offense. Our team grew a lot.”
Cohesion is a major key for a growing program. Very rarely can you expect success before unity, just like in most cases, the border must be complete before the puzzle can become finished.
Therefore, there is reason for excitement as the team heads into 2018 play. Playing with your teammates is one thing but playing with your friends is another. Both may yield success, but where the former may have to navigate through a maze, the latter strolls through like a walk in the park. It’s Stewart’s hope that this year’s mix of talented underclassmen and experienced upperclassmen can lead to the best season the team has seen.
One of its goals? To give the inaugural class a proper send off. The best way to do that? Win five conference games to qualify to play in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) tournament.
It’s no secret that the AAC is tough competition. Last year the Eagles wound up 3-5 in conference play. If the team wants a taste of the postseason tournament, it will need to flip that record around. But Stewart isn’t discouraged. “I’m excited to see what this team does. We have the talent to go farther than before. We’re going to pull off some upsets.”
Keep an eye out; you might just see this team competing for a championship in 2018.
